মঙ্গলবার, ১৮ জানুয়ারী, ২০১১

Education financing of education and loan system in Nepal (08)

Recommendations about the educational Budget and loan of Nepal & Bangladesh

Nepal:
The national education policy has lead towards the commercialization of higher educational degrees by adopting the cost recovery principle in the higher education loan, student loan financial management since the government alone cannot meet the faster rising demand for higher educational degrees, education degrees, online degrees, online masters degree, online colleges, online university due to the limited available financial resources. The present day slogan is the social inclusion in higher educational degrees, various education degrees, online masters degrees, online colleges, online university,  i.e., increasing access for women, dalits, indigenous and deprived people to the higher educational degrees. For this purpose, sufficient number of free ships / scholarship, education loan, student loan for them is required to make them easy access. Commercialization of higher educational degrees and increasing access for them to higher educational degrees, education degrees, bachelor degres are two extremes. That’s why; the government cannot escape from financing the higher educational degrees. Commercialization of higher educational degrees, education degrees can no doubt increase the private sector investment in education loan. However, both public and private sectors’ investment on education loan, student loans, education degrees, online degrees, online masters degree, online colleges, online university  are required. 
Considering the above needs the government has to adopt the multi-universities concept and an appropriate financing modality for higher education loan has been recommended.
1.  There should be closer linkage between the non-development and development education loan budgets in order to effectively mobilize limited resources.
2. Offices formulating school-level education loan budgets involving development partners (donors) should do their part of the research to find out what donor’s conditions are for aid and work them into the education loan, student loan budget.
3.  Regional directorates should be more actively involved in the formulation of the development plan and education loan budget.
4.  The unit cost-based programme should be strictly followed and encouraged at NPC-level for formulating planning and education loan budgeting.
5.  Heavy dependence on foreign sources of funding leads to potential problems of sustainability for certain programmes. Attempts should be made to increase the government’s contribution to the development education loan budget.
6.  The existing Education Management Information System (EMIS) should be strengthened with a view to providing timely and reliable data for education loan budget, student loan purposes.
7.  The bottom-up planning approach should be gradually implemented along with the capacity-building programme of local stakeholders, to enable them to fully follow expenditure norms while formulating programme and education loan budget. NPC and MOF should jointly organize regular workshops/seminars on new methods of annual programme, education loan, student loans, education degrees, online degrees, online masters degree, online colleges, online university  and education loan budget preparation at the regional level for concerned stakeholders.
8.  Adequate funding should be set aside for monitoring and evaluation. Certain major monitoring and supervision activities should be shifted from the central level to the Regional Education Directorate and local bodies in order to enhance the participatory approach.
9.  Planning and education loan budgeting of the non-development and development student loan budgets, education degrees, online degrees, online masters degree, online colleges, online university should be undertaken from a single section in the Ministry in order to ensure consistency.

10.  Planning and education loan, student loan budgeting personnel should not be transferred frequently. If a transfer is necessary, then the transferred planning officer should be replaced with another planning officer.
11.  A strong and regular monitoring as well as supervision mechanism along with effective performance indicators should be developed and strengthened with regard to education loan budget implementation. Once developed, performance indicators should be fully implemented and practised.
12.  Resources for the duration of a project should be guaranteed in order for the project to operate smoothly. Any unspent funds, loan at the end of the fiscal year should not be frozen. A project’s proposed programme should not be limited with a  fixed  ceiling. Also, projects should be designed for funding in such a way that they can be run (on the basis of feasibility/viability of the programme) without interruption until the completion phase. Key project staff 
(including the project chief) should be assigned for the entire duration of the project.
13. The officers and staff working in the education loan Budget and Programme Division of MOF should be fully conversant with the Budget Management Information System (BMIS) as well as the Financial Management Information System (FMIS).
14.  The project screening process should be reviewed and the list of screened projects should be kept updated. An effective Project Planning and Management System (PPMS) should be developed.
15. An effective Foreign Aid Management Information System (database), student loan should be developed. A clear project implementation policy should also be formulated.
16.  The development priorities as determined by Nepal should match the priorities of donor agencies (fully matched with local needs and requirements). Efforts should be made to undertake negotiations with donors to harmonize and standardize treaties and agreements entered into with them in line with current country laws.
17.  Activity-based education loan budgeting and expenditure accounting should be applied as soon as possible so that the impact of budgeting  loan can be monitored in an effective manner Recommendations.